China to pass anti-secession law

[JURIST] The government of China (official website in Chinese) announced Friday that it will submit an anti-secession bill to the Chinese parliament later in Decemeber. The text and details of the legislation have not been made public, but the announcement appeared to be aimed at the recent moves towards independence by Taiwan that have worried the Chinese government. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council meanwhile says that Chinese President Hu Jintao will make a statement Monday outlining legislation that will require eventual reunification of Taiwan to the mainland. China considers Taiwan, the seat of the Republic of China government that fled the mainland after the Communist takeover in 1948, to be a province of China, and has repeatedly threatened war if Taiwan were to declare its ormal independence. The US, while not recognizing Taiwan as an independent country, has pledged to defend the tiny island nation should China invade. JURIST's Paper Chase has background on some of Taiwan's recent moves towards independence. The China Post has more.

About Paper Chase

Paper Chase is JURIST's real-time legal news service, powered by a team of 30 law student reporters and editors led by law professor Bernard Hibbitts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. As an educational service, Paper Chase is dedicated to presenting important legal news and materials rapidly, objectively and intelligibly in an accessible format.